Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukushima and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,190 in Fukushima, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,190

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fukushima and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fukushima and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Fukushima vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukushima $1,190
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Fukushima vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukushima $1,821
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,452 per month in Fukushima vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fukushima $2,452
Chiang Mai $1,914

Fukushima costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fukushima and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Fukushima 12% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.15 ¥972

$2.26 ฿75.7

172.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.88 ¥4,726

$19.18 ฿644

55.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥706

$5.59 ฿188

-20.21%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ¥408

$1.72 ฿57.9

50.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥146

$0.64 ฿21.63

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥106

$0.33 ฿11.23

103.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.36 ฿79.1

9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥502

$3.90 ฿131

-18.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥233

$2.05 ฿68.9

-28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.40 ฿46.90

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 ¥667

$1.28 ฿43.07

229.69%

Eggs

$2.10 ¥333

$2.25 ฿75.6

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,610

$16.94 ฿569

-39.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 ¥1,048

$2.74 ฿92.0

141.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 ¥2,637

$9.36 ฿314

78.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 ¥578

$2.40 ฿80.6

52.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 ¥368

$1.01 ฿34.06

130.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ¥441

$1.61 ฿54.1

73.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 ¥653

$1.52 ฿51.0

171.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥378

$1.28 ฿43.08

86.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ¥406

$1.11 ฿37.38

131.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.72 ฿24.19

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$0.52 ฿17.61

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥614

$4.33 ฿145

-10.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 ¥1,040

$17.73 ฿595

-62.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥297

$1.63 ฿54.7

15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥328

$2.85 ฿95.7

-27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 ¥248

$0.85 ฿28.43

84.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 ¥8,621

$53.9 ฿1,809

1.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 ¥451

$1.17 ฿39.34

143.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 ¥395

$0.57 ฿19.08

338.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.54 ¥3,090

$2.37 ฿79.5

724.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥182

$1.45 ฿48.52

-20.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$20.5K ฿687.1K

2.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$26.5K ฿889.8K

-49.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$141 ¥22.3K

$62.3 ฿2,092

126.12%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.85 ¥3,614

$12.27 ฿412

86.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.60 ¥4,839

$19.97 ฿670

53.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.44 ¥7,660

$37.91 ฿1,272

27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ¥1,708

$6.71 ฿225

60.95%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$450 ¥71.2K

$797 ฿26.8K

-43.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ¥1.7M

$14.8K ฿497.8K

-27.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,945

$53.3 ฿1,787

-5.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.98 ¥4,582

$25.05 ฿841

15.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$91.6 ฿3,075

-29.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 ¥14.9K

$73.5 ฿2,465

28.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 ¥82.4K

$464 ฿15.6K

12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

10.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 ¥164.6K

$915 ฿30.7K

13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥101.3K

$552 ฿18.5K

15.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,752 ¥593.3K

$1,912 ฿64.2K

96.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,671 ¥264.2K

$1,438 ฿48.3K

16.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Fukushima: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Fukushima

$336 28.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 9.2% $31

Groceries & Markets

Fukushima

$287 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 17.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukushima

$194 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 51.3% $100

Eating Out

Fukushima

$119 10%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 33.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Fukushima

$107 9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 2.3% $2.5

Getting Around

Fukushima

$76 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 19.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Fukushima

$70 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 26.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Fukushima versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Fukushima versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

20:43 8:43 PM

2 h behind Fukushima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

282,693

127,240

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Fukushima Chiang Mai 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Fukushima vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Fukushima and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $450 per month in Fukushima and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Fukushima, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Fukushima at $1,190. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fukushima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,190 in Fukushima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fukushima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.